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Prosperous Armenia proposes amendments to gender-equality bill
16:41 - 03.08.13
A senior lawmaker of the Prosperous Armenia party (PAP) says their
parliamentary group has proposed amendments to the controversial
gender equality bill that spurred heated debates in the public and
political circles months after receiving the legislative's approval.
The proposal is particularly aimed at banning the characterization of
`gender' as an `acquired social behavior'.
`In May, the parliament adopted the Draft Law on Equal Rights and
Opportunities for Men and Women. Its second clause has stirred up a
big fuss in the society and the social networks. I share the existing
concerns - as a parliament member - over the definition of gender. The
term gender has been declared as an acquired behavior under the bill,
which is quite unacceptable,' the secretary of the PAP faction in
parliament, Naira Zohrabyan, told Tert.am.
She agreed in the meantim that their lawmakers may also have ignored
the provision and voted in favor of the proposal.
`I have officially put the draft amendment into circulation and
proposed excluding `the acquired social behavior' term. I hope my
colleagues will back the proposal at the September session, and the
clause that gave way to so many concerns will be fully removed,' she
noted.
Zohrabyan said further that she intends to call for parliamentary
hearings to address the existing concerns and propose further
amendments.
`I have already met with NGOs concerned over the issue. I think we'll
organize hearings in September to finalize the law,' she said.
Zohrabyan is nonetheless inclined to consider the proposal a positive
reform. `[It is important] to give men and women equal rights in all
spheres, including employment and education. Those wordings did really
distort the correct, kind and literate goal that lay behind the bill,'
she added.
Armenian News - Tert.am
16:41 - 03.08.13
A senior lawmaker of the Prosperous Armenia party (PAP) says their
parliamentary group has proposed amendments to the controversial
gender equality bill that spurred heated debates in the public and
political circles months after receiving the legislative's approval.
The proposal is particularly aimed at banning the characterization of
`gender' as an `acquired social behavior'.
`In May, the parliament adopted the Draft Law on Equal Rights and
Opportunities for Men and Women. Its second clause has stirred up a
big fuss in the society and the social networks. I share the existing
concerns - as a parliament member - over the definition of gender. The
term gender has been declared as an acquired behavior under the bill,
which is quite unacceptable,' the secretary of the PAP faction in
parliament, Naira Zohrabyan, told Tert.am.
She agreed in the meantim that their lawmakers may also have ignored
the provision and voted in favor of the proposal.
`I have officially put the draft amendment into circulation and
proposed excluding `the acquired social behavior' term. I hope my
colleagues will back the proposal at the September session, and the
clause that gave way to so many concerns will be fully removed,' she
noted.
Zohrabyan said further that she intends to call for parliamentary
hearings to address the existing concerns and propose further
amendments.
`I have already met with NGOs concerned over the issue. I think we'll
organize hearings in September to finalize the law,' she said.
Zohrabyan is nonetheless inclined to consider the proposal a positive
reform. `[It is important] to give men and women equal rights in all
spheres, including employment and education. Those wordings did really
distort the correct, kind and literate goal that lay behind the bill,'
she added.
Armenian News - Tert.am